The head of Shell’s upstream business Andrew Brown is to take an immediate leave of absence on medical grounds, the oil giant confirmed today.
Brown, who was a leading candidate to replace Peter Voser as chief executive last year, has been with the Anglo Dutch major for thirty years after joining from Cambridge University.
Maarten Westellar, who heads up the company’s integrated gas projects, will stand in as acting upstream head until his return.
The oil firm said Brown, who is married with four children, was recuperating from recent medical treatment, but did not give a timescale for his return.